


How To Repair A Broken Heart

by TheReluctantBlue



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: (more tags to add as the story progresses), Friendship, M/M, Matchmaking, Romance, special appearance of Hemmy and Bowie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 23:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5559742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheReluctantBlue/pseuds/TheReluctantBlue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>WE REPAIR:<br/>Your broken stuff, and broken hearts.</b>
</p>
<p>A week after Pete's long time girlfriend breaks up with him, leaving him with a broken heart, a repair shop opens in Pete's neighborhood that offers a unique service that caught his interest.</p>
<p>He expected it as a joke, but it was definitely more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How To Repair A Broken Heart

It's been a week now. Pete knows this because he's been counting. He's been marking 'x' on the calendar. He puts a reminder on his phone on when it happened.

They were together for almost 10 years, and in that 10 years, Pete already memorize everything about her. The color of her eyes, the color of her skin, the scent of her hair, the power of her perfume as it leaves its scent on any room of his house, he remembers the crinkle and shine in her eyes when she laughs, he memorized the sound of her voice, alluring and hypnotic.

He was planning on proposing to _her_. To Ashlee. He already planned everything out. He told his friends, he told his family, he rented a venue on the perfect place where he plans on giving his heart to Ashlee for as long as he lives. 

But she broke it even before he could give it to her.

_"You're always working.", "Pete, we're always fighting.", "I'm tired, Pete. I'm tired of this, of us."_

It's been a week now. It has been a week since his heart got broken. He remembers this. Didn't he tell you before? He's been counting.

He still counts as he works in his office.  _"It's been a day" , "It's been four days.", "It's been a week. It'll be the 8th day tomorrow."_ His secretary, which coincidentally, is named Ashley, has been sending him sympathetic looks as he works, but stays silent. She leaves coffee at his desk everyday even when he didn't ask for it. She's quite the firecracker, this Ashley, who prefers to be called Halsey. She's one of the people whom Pete would consider as his friend.

His partner, Gabe, kicks him out off the office on schedule. 8pm. "Stop over-working and get some rest, asshole." Says Gabe. He knows better than to argue with him, because Gabe will always find a hole in his testimony. That's why they're partners. Gabe's persistence always saves their case.

He gathers his documents and leaves the office. A security guard greets him a ' _good night'_ as he passed by. He then sets foot outside of the building, the cold winds hits the side of his face. He tugs his coat closer to cover himself from the coldness. Pete retrieves his car key on the pocket of the coat and opens the driver's side of the car. He starts the car's engines and drives off.

Chicago is his place, his home. The city lights, the city streets, the shops, the goodness of its well known deep fried Pizza, its people. This is the place where he belongs. He passes by the local stores as he drives his way to his house. He sees the music store a few blocks away. He sees the owner, cleaning the open glass outside his store. Beside the music store used to be an old bookstore, but it closed down after the owner died. A sign that says _"Sold"_ has been taped by the door. There's probably a new shop being made.

Pete thinks about his house. He's starting to hate it. He regrets making it large, because the silence around his house seems more prominent in every room. The silence is terrible. It makes the noises in his head louder that even the radio isn't enough to block it out.

He remembers his Mom making him this little cross-stitched image of a house, framed on his wall that says: _"Home is where the heart is."_ But now, how is he suppose to call his house a home if his heart already scheduled a flight to New York just yesterday morning?

The only thing that keeps him company is Hemingway and Bowie. Hemmy is usually quiet and likes to lay down beside him when he's on the couch or bed. Hemmy likes being scratched behind the ears. Bowie is just a bundle of fluff and energy. His heterochrome eyes making him stand out from the rest of the dogs in town. Bowie is Pete's wake up call since he loves to slobber Pete's face with saliva in the morning.

Ashlee likes the dogs. They go out for a walk together in the park. He walks Hemmy, while she walks Bowie. Remembering such a pleasant memory shouldn't break his heart like that.

The dogs greet him as he opens the door of his house. Along with the dogs, the deafening silence also greets him. Bowie's cheerful bark fills the room and it relieves Pete to have something to distract him.

Pete places his documents by the table and goes to the kitchen to retrieve the dog bowls to feed Hemmy and Bowie. The two dogs follow after him and patiently waits for Pete to put the food on the bowl. Their tails, wagging in excitement.

He heard a ring from his cellphone after leaving the dogs to eat on their food. He took his phone from the pocket of his coat and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

 _"Pete! Hey, man."_ A loud, energetic voice speaks over the phone, and Pete had to grin at the familiar voice.

"Hey, Bren. What's up? How are you doing?"

Brendon is what Pete would consider as 'restless'. It's like he never gets tired. He wonders if his best friend needs some kind of off switch. But Brendon is a blessing that keeps him moving. What more could he ask for?

 _"I speak to you as a best friend, Pete. We're going at a bar tomorrow."_ Brendon announces, the excitement on his voice is almost palatable from the other line.

Pete furrows his eyebrows. He doesn't remember arranging on going to a bar. He doesn't even remember agreeing to Brendon. 

_"Before you disagree, well... You can't. If you don't come, I will personally kidnap you from your home and drag you there. Got that, Wentz? Meet me at the bar we usually go to at 6pm. See ya!"_

Pete heard beeping at the end of the line and he sighs in defeat. There's no use disobeying Brendon. People like Brendon is a lawyer's worst nightmare. And besides, he must be in Chicago right now. Maybe he's taking a rest from being a rock star. He does miss Brendon, and catching up with his best friend would be nice.

He finishes his dinner, and cleans up. He organizes his documents at his study, and leaves them at his desk so he can fix the unfinished work by tomorrow.

Pete enters the bedroom, his eyes gazing the bed. He was used to the silhouette of her body next to his. He remembers the outline of her curves, and the radiating warmth of her body beside him. And now, it's gone. The warmth, the comfort, and her.

He tries to imagine her beside him as he lies in bed and closes his eyes. He still remembers the sound of her breathing as she nuzzles his neck, her arm wrapped around his torso. He faces her and cherishes her beauty as she sleeps. Her eyelashes are long, it complements the shape of her eyes. Her lips are plump. Pete remembers how it feels against his, open and soft. Her cheekbones are prominent, making her daring. But to the people who know her, she's the sweetest thing you can ever ask for.

And Pete will never have that again.

He felt the bed dip beside him. He felt fur brushing against his skin. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that it was Hemmy. Sometimes he thinks Hemmy knows him better than people do. Pete guesses it's because he grew up with the dog.

He blindly pat on Hemmy's head, his fingers reach to scratch the back of his ears. He eventually falls asleep, dreaming of a life where _she_ never left his side.

\----

It was lunch break from work when Pete started to count again. _"It's been a week and a half."_ Pete is surprised that he made it that far without going insane.

"Hey, Pete. Did you see the new repair shop in town? The one beside the music store?" Gabe asked him during their lunch. Ash-- _Halsey_ , seats with them on their table.

"So, the old bookstore became a repair shop?" Pete questions. He expected a small grocery store or something. He didn't expect a repair shop.

"Yeah, man. Apparently, they can repair anything, from electronics to your kitchen sink. Maybe they can fix my iPhone." Gabe responds as he chews his food. It's kinda disgusting, but Hal usually beats him to it when scolding Gabe about his eating habits.

"They fixed my Grandma's antique pocket watch that she got from my Grandpa. It's as good as new when my Grandma showed it to me. They're good." Halsey adds, her hand making gestures as she emphasizes her point.

"Wanna check it out with me, Pete?" Gabe asked him.

"Nah. I've already made plans with Brendon."

"Your call, man." 

\---

It was 5pm, the they meet at the bar at 6pm. But Pete decides to leave the office early, much to Gabe's delight since he's not over working again.

He starts the car and drives off to the bar that Brendon told him to go to. He's glad that there's no traffic. He can't afford Brendon nagging him about being late.

It turns out that traffic isn't his problem because his car starts to have a problem. He forgot that he had to check on his car on a regular basis to avoid things like these to happen. Fucking great.

Fortunately, he sees the repair shop that Gabe has been talking about. He pulls the car over and stops in front of the repair shop. It was surprisingly neat from the outside, there was a little sign plastered on their window.

 

_**WE REPAIR:** _

_**Your broken stuff, and broken hearts.** _

 

Pete scoffs at the sign. Whoever made the sign must be desperate for a profit. Someone could sue them for such a lie. But he doesn't have time to muse on the sign and decides to enter the shop.

It was even cleaner on the inside. He steps into the tiled floor. A potted plant is placed on one side of the couch. A small table with a lamp on the other. There's a door from behind the desk that says ' _employees only'_. It doesn't look like a repair shop but more of a clinic.

"Can I help you?"

The man behind the desk looks intimidating. He wonders if their employer allows them to wear shades within the work place, unless he's the owner. If the beard doesn't make him look menacing, it's the tattoos that cover both of his arm does. The guy has a name tag which says " _Andy_ " on it.

"Uh, my friend says you can fix anything. I need help with my car that is right outside of your shop so..." Pete babbles, clearly nervous of the man in front of him.

The guy-- Andy, nods at him. "I'll see what I can do."

They both went outside to check on the car. Pete explains to him happened, as Andy listens to him intently.

"I can probably fix this by tomorrow. Is that okay?" Pete could probably just get a cab to the bar, so he agrees to let the car be fixed. He gets Andy's number so that he can have an update about the car.

Pete was about to leave when he looked over the sign again. He then turns his gaze at Andy, who starts to check on his car. He doesn't seem to be the type of man who would make such a farce. "Uh, wait. Your sign here... Is it a joke?" Pete decided to ask.

Andy looks at him, and he can't tell what kind of look Andy is giving him. The shades that cover his eyes don't exactly help with that. "Does it look like I'm joking? You need your heart fixed?"

 _"That can't be fucking real, but I guess I can humor myself."_ Pete thought as he looks back at the sign. "No--YES. Yes, I do."

Andy hums in thought as he returns his gaze to the broken car. "Go right in. In the desk, ring the call bell two times. Someone will accommodate you there."

It was rather a specific order, they must have a procedure or something. So, there is another employee inside, who can apparently fix hearts. What if it was actually in a literal sense? That would have been creepy.

 _"Brendon wouldn't mind if he's late for a few minutes, right?"_ Pete thinks as he reenters the shop again. He makes his way over the desk and sees the bell. There's a time for him to back down and just leave the shop. But sometimes, people would do stupid things for their hearts.

He presses on the bell two times, just as Andy instructed. The 'ding' of the bell echoes within the shop. A minute later, he heard rustling from behind the employee's door. The door knob turns, and shows a man, probably shorter than him, wearing a black shirt that definitely contrasts his skin color, along with a rather tight pants that show off those thighs. He wears a pair of combat boots that looks stylish with his clothing. It comes along with a fedora on top of his strawberry blond hair.

When he looks up and sees Pete, he can see how his blue-green eyes crinkle as he gives Pete a warm smile. Pete's initial thought is that the man is _beautiful._ He knows how to appreciate beauty from the different and same sexes, and Pete definitely adds the guy in the category.

"Hello, I'm Patrick. Are you in need of my service?"

The way this guy--Patrick, mentioned ' _service_ ', he thinks of a rather dirty thought out of it. He had to mentally slap himself for thinking of something that way about this seemingly good natured employee.

"Uh. You fix... Broken hearts? Can I ask how?"

"Well, sir..." Pete tries not to shiver by the way Patrick called him ' _sir_ '. " _Stop it, Wentz."_  "This service is more like a matchmaking service. I'll find someone compatible for you that may be able to help you... "mend" your broken heart. Uh, do you get what I mean?"

Huh. Matchmaking. That's a unique service, especially in a freaking repair shop. Talk about literal repairing. It's actually pretty creative now that he thinks about it.

"Sorry about the sign. It was rather straightforward, isn't it? Andy kinda insisted on it." Patrick gives him a sheepish grin.

"No. It's okay. It actually attracts customers."

He looks relieved at Pete's input, and it makes Pete think about how he sometimes asks for Ashlee's approval on his choices. He knows he's made the same face before.

Pete wonders how good Patrick is at this matchmaking business. He looks a few years younger than Pete, but he knows that he should not base a person's age from their experience. Maybe there's more to Patrick that meets the eye.

"So, if you'd like to sign up for the service, you have to fill up this form before we make it official. There are rules behind the form that I would advise you must read. You don't have to sign now, but once you do sign and return this to me, along with full understanding on the rules of this service, then there's no turning back. Do you understand?" Patrick explains as he offers the form to Pete, a stern expression placed upon his face.

Pete looks over the paper, asking for his details, and preferences for a date. The next page is a list of rules.  _"It's worth a shot, right?"_ Pete thought.

"Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome. Come by anytime if you've made your choice." Patrick beams at him.

Patrick opens the door for him as he leaves the shop. The gives Andy a nod he passed by him. He tucks the form that Patrick gave him inside his coat and makes his way to call a taxi cab. As the cab drives to it's destination, all that he could think about is on how the paper in his coat felt more like a contract rather than a registration form.

\---

He came to the bar a few minutes before 6pm. He's pretty sure Brendon would be proud of that for coming early for a change. He enters the bar and sees Brendon immediately, gulping down a drink as he talks animatedly to a rather _tall_  Bartender with a patient smile.

Pete's not sure if he's imagining things but he saw the way Brendon's eyes lingered on the bartender's form as he accommodates the other customers. It was... wistful.

"Yo, Bren!"

Brendon turns around and happily greets him, gesturing him to come over beside him. He takes a seat beside Brendon. The bartender, whose name is Dallon, makes drinks for them as they chat.

They catch up on a lot of things. It's been a while since he's seen Brendon. Life has been keeping them busy, but Brendon seems to have a lot of hilarious stories. Being in a band gives him lots of stories to tell. He appreciates that Brendon still gives time for him despite his busy schedule. He has amazing people around him.

"So... what's with you and the bartender?" Pete whispered after he noticed Brendon's glance at the seemingly oblivous bartender who's cleaning the shot glasses.

"Nothing." Said Brendon after he chugs a whole glass of his beer.

"And that's the problem, right?"

"That's the problem."

Brendon also knows how heart break feels like. Pete then remembers the repair shop, and that little sign that caught his eyes. He decides to tell Brendon about it.

"Huh. Talk about literal fixing." Brendon hums in approval at the repair shop's attracting sign.

Pete sips on his beer, the warmth of the drink, eases its way through his throat. "I know, right? This little dude from the shop who wears a fedora offers this... Matchmaking service."

Brendon looks at him contemplatingly, before he speaks. "You should take it, Pete. Maybe it would help you."

He chuckles at Brendon's suggestion, since Brendon himself needs help with his _tall_ problem. "Same to you too, Brendon."

They both leave the bar at 9pm (With Brendon leaving a rather large tip for Dallon). Brendon gave him a warm hug before leaving, giving Pete words of encouragement before taking a cab to his hotel. Pete leaves for home as he took his own cab. The city lights of Chicago still shine in the darkest hours. Pete leans against the glass window of the cab. He still pretty sober even after he drank five glasses of beer. That's where his drinking during college days pay off. His tolerance for alcohol is pretty strong.

Pete's ride passes by the repair shop, his car is right of outside of it. The lights are still on. He wonders what the employees do there when they're not working. What does Andy do when he's not fixing things? What does Patrick do if he doesn't have a heart to fix?

He remembers the form in his coat pocket. He retrieves it and starts to read some of the rules:

 **Rule #1:** _As a client, it's important that the matchmaker knows you better in order to find the suitable person for you._

 _"That sounds simple enough."_ Pete thinks. There are at least a few more rules on the list but he decides to give it a proper reading in his study tomorrow.

Pete considers on taking Patrick's offer. He hopes that he's not making a fool of himself out of this one. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, we get inspirations from the silliest things. Here in the Philippines, we use Jeepneys as our mode of transportation for commuters. Sometimes, the drivers have these silly lines written on their jeepneys such as 'Drivers are sweet lovers'. In one of the jeepneys I rode on, there was this sign that says "We repair our jeepneys, and your broken hearts." And that is what inspired this fic.
> 
> Silly, I know. But I tell you, we really do get inspirations from the silliest things.  
> Sorry for the mistakes! I'm obviously not a native speaker of English.  
> I hope you like this fic! (Even if I feel ashamed for not continuing my other fics ahh)


End file.
